Astronomers on the Discovery of Alcyoneus: The Largest Galaxy in the Universe
One of the main questions the discovery of a giant radio galaxy (GRG) –active galactic nuclei that are very luminous at radio wavelengths– named Alcyoneus, after the son of the primordial Greek god of the sky, Ouranos, directly triggered is: “Why has Alcyoneus grown to such a large size,” asked astronomer Reinout van Weeren at the Leiden Observatory in an email to The Daily Galaxy. “The host galaxy of Alcyoneus and its central massive black hole have properties that are rather typical for radio galaxies,” van Weeren explained. “So Alcyoneus is not really special in this way. It is likely that Alcyoneus’ cosmic environment has played a role in allowing it to grow to its enormous size.
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